


A secret, for now.

by nrr



Category: Team Fortress 2
Genre: M/M, featuring random building and truck
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-25
Updated: 2021-01-25
Packaged: 2021-03-17 18:47:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,808
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28979100
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nrr/pseuds/nrr
Summary: What happened last night? Why did he get punch in the face just from entering the wrong room? Oh, well, Engie looked pretty mad and dragged Soldier out to nowhere. Now, he was brooding, on the back of the truck.
Relationships: Engineer/Soldier (Team Fortress 2)
Comments: 5
Kudos: 13





	A secret, for now.

**Author's Note:**

> Ah, yes, I love writing awkward fanfics.  
> Too awkward.

"GRRROOOOwwWLLL..."  
Like a wolf (comically) howl, his stomach rumbled, since it was long passed his breakfast time. Bummer, he did look up how to make a 'Super Special American pancake' from his granny's recipe book to show off his pancake flipping skill today, but-

"But, Engie..." Soldier spoke up, rubbing the pain from the punch on his jawline. His voice broke down the silence between them.

Engineer grunted in respond, "Shut your trap, boy, 'cause I ain't gonna listen," then forcefully steered the wheel to make a rough U-turn, causing the other in the back of the truck to stumble and fall over, face planted first.

They were currently at somewhere and nowhere. There was nothing here but dust and sand and barren dead bushes, something that reminded him of Australia, but, no, they were still at Texas.  
Soldier had no idea where were they going. Or did they really are going to anywhere?

The Engineer was surely in a bad mood, frowning, fuming. Judging from how furious he hit the break and the honk and Soldier had no clue if he was the one who cause it.

He rubbed under his chin, using his little brain power to think. Let's see...the possibility of what might upset this Texan man of his the last few days...  
Was it when he 'accidentally' broke one of his 'invention'? Was it when he invited Tavish over, unannounced, and made a mess all over their place? He did clean up after though... Was it when he entered the wrong room? Or was it that time when he... or was it when...

Oh, boy, he did done a lot of troubling deeds to Engie last few days, didn't he?

"Engie, I'm sorry," Soldier tried again to apologise, gathering himself up and sat against the truck, still not quiet figured out what made his partner so angry first thing on top of the morning.

"Oh, yeah? For what?"

"For... I don't know-"  
Engineer hit the break so suddenly that it made the hard helmet of his 'passenger' hit the truck's window with a loud bang.

Oh, no! There was a crack on it!

"What was that for, you numbnuts?!" dazed and riled up, he quickly peeked his head out to greet the driver's grim smirk via the rearview mirror.  
The nerve of this bastard...!

"I don't know," the Texan mocked and continued to enjoy the bumpy ride, which his passenger wasn't at all.

Soldier tilted back his helmet and kept his grunt low. Still, he was trying his hardest to think... think of how should he handle the situation. He remembered the words of his good friend, Sun Tzu, that violence is always an answer, but... Soldier knew, not now, not this time... he wouldn't want things to end badly as it already was... not with Engie...

They were going somewhere, finally, as the fast truck was approaching a small building. The military man tried to recall the place from the distance. Eyes narrowed. No clue.  
Wait, were they even still in Texas?

The truck then stopped running its tires at a rundown workshop. The one story concrete building which covered with ancient desert dust and spooky spider's webs. Engineer got out the truck, hand stuck in his pocket, jacking out the car key and glared sharply at his Soldier. A caution he gave.  
"Stay here," like an owner to his dog, he ordered and went straight to the door inside the building, alone.

And once, the engineer was completely alone inside the ruined workshop. He looked back to make sure that the soldier was still clueless and obediently wait for him at the truck before finding the light switch. Found it, tap it. The bright light filled the dusty room for the first time in the decade.  
How familiar the place to him, he used to come by a lot when his father was still around, but now, not much to see here except for the old, smelly, oily, empty room.  
Being in this shabby, square room had calm his nerve down by a lot. Why, he didn't know.

Dell crouched down, hands covering his face and ears, embarassed. Having a (comically) mental breakdown, he mumbled to himself as he traced back the incident before this whole big deal with his lover.

Last night or was it just this morning? When Jane drunkly entered his room, mistaken as his own... he... he stumble upon and curiously felt the small object in his hand, on his finger, which the engineer wished to keep it a secret.  
If he wasn't there and quick enough to punch Jane in the face and retrieved the thing, the soldier might had already figured it out.

God damnit! That damn, drunk, dumb Soldier! The cat almost got out the bag! He almost found it as he was about to put it on his finger!

Despite being able to keep a mature image at work, Dell really had no idea how to sort the situation of his love life out, especially with a lover this... unique, and went on with acting angry as if it was a very big problem like some adolescent having a quarrel with his lover....  
Oh, God, he remembered shouting and making a fuss over it before throwing the soldier out of his room, rejecting his drunk advance... Nah, it wasn't what you think.  
How could a gentleman like him taking an advantage of his lover's drunken state and reap away his chasity?

Hmmmm?

Anyway. Well, to him, it was kind of a big deal, very. But... sooner or later, Jane will have to know about it, right? ... or maybe never ever?

Hold yourself together, Mister Conagher! He slapped his face, one, two, three times! Where was the calm and composed Dell go? Years of university would go to waste if he couldn't even solve this little problem! He should've handle the situation much better than this!

Dell took in a deep breath. Right! First he had to... find a way to wiggle out of the tensing situation between them and- and- but-

But he acted too much and lied too many, he couldn't think of a way to apologise without hurting both their pride...  
All of this commotion because of this- this little thing...

Engineer let go of his hands as his face's temperature wasn't heating up anymore. The expression of his returned to stale and pale.  
Sighed hopelessly the engineer, he slowly opened what it was in his hand and traced down his eyes on the round object that laid on his palm. 

Unlike most, it was mediocre, boring, just plain silver and had no jewelry on it, but it was a form of his affection, of his love and labor. He made it himself with great arithmetic, perfectly calculated and most important of all, with his faithful endearment engraved on it.  
Something small, something lovely, something that would fit Jane's finger, something that won't be in the way of his skull cracking hands... it became so dull.

"Will this be good enough for ya, Jane?" alone in the room, he whispered quietly, gripping the ring tight.

Suddenly, the workshop's door was aggressively swung open. "Something wrong, Engie?! Is there a commie?!" asked the Soldier, loudly, clearly worrying.  
"I heard you called my name and immediately rush in here!" he walked in closer, cautiously.

Dell looked at his soldier with eyes opened wide in surprised. Heard? He could? How? 

Whatever. Engineer closed his palm again, sweats gathered on his hand, but not his face, keeping his cold demeanor.  
Actually, no, not after he saw how terrible the expression that was plastered with panic and dread of his beloved after a long dead silence. He dropped the act and trashed away the fake frown. 

Dell stood back up with the help of his lover and quickly tossed the ring back into his pocket. A secret for now.

"Sorry, Jane," said the Texan, flustered. The usual soft smile grew back on the corner of his lips.

"What for?" the soldier grinned sheepishly as he cropped the first touch, not counting the punch, of warmth of the day from his Engie.

And seeing so, Dell would chuckled heartily in response, "I don't know," scratching the back of his head, shyly.

Now the role was reversed, how was that?! The soldier grinned even wider, but later his expression was replaced with his unusual dumb duck face, curious.  
"Question, why are we here?" and now he was asking the real question.

"I wonder," the Texan gave his beloved a few pat on the back before lightly pushed him toward the exit. Surprisingly, he had no answer for it. It just popped up in his head and before he knew it, he was already here.  
Slithered away, he couldn't, so an honest reply should be told, "Maybe I just forget somethin' here," followed with a shrug.

He smiled to himself with the soldier's hand hung around his neck as they both left the workshop, 

The small silver ring, against the car's key, making a jingle noise in his pocket as he moved, reminding him about its existence.  
Well, at least he knew that his lover's finger could fit in pretty well...

Sorry, Jane, but you were not meant to see it... just yet.

And he heard a loud growl of someone's stomach. Someone and not him. Its owner didn't shy away, in fact he seemed to be very proud of it.

"Ya haven't ate anythin', Sol?" Engineer nudged him, smirking. Well, no wonder the belly groaned, he did just drag and toss Soldier on the truck so sudden. Partly his fault, he admitted.  
"Better get back to our home then?" Dell was great at changing the topic.

"Oh, yeah! I want you to try my 'Super Special American pancake' for the breakfast, cupcake," and he was great at following with the flow.

The two went back to the truck. While Dell looked up to the old building one last time just to question why the hell did he drove here. Not that he had any answer.

Anyway, with Jane back to his rightfully passenger seat and not the back, Dell jammed in back the key and started the truck while his partner got in control over the car's stereo.

Once he pushed the big, red ON button, the car would run again.  
Bumping their heads and merrily singing out their offkey voices (mostly Jane's) along with country songs and bumpy, sandy road, they were agreed on heading back home.

Back on the roadless street, the truck was, again, off from their parking lot, driving to somewhere with clear destination of both the driver and the passenger wanted to and not just any nowhere with neither never deciding on, 'cause that won't do well for their love life, ain't it?

**Author's Note:**

> You can rest now, my 2016 self. The dream we had, I finally wrote a conclusion for it.
> 
> I once dreamed of the scene where solly, in the truck, was trying to apologise to engie for... idk and engie didn't listen then I woke up.  
> Well, I can stop thinking about what happened next now.
> 
> This fic was originally going to be pure angst, but, anyway...


End file.
